Missouri House approves open enrollment for students

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri students and their families could soon be allowed to go to school outside of the district they live in.

This is the fourth year in a row representatives passed the “Public School Open Enrollment Act,” sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia. Wednesday’s vote was even closer than years previous, but it also brought many concerns about the impact this will have on school districts and communities, causing them to consolidate or possibly even close.

“This bill will destroy my community; this bill will destroy my school,” Rep. Marlene Terry, D-St. Louis, said on the House floor. “Until you can tell me how you’re going to fix the environment and the education in the public school system to where my children sit, I’m going to continually be against this bill.”

The full article is available at ozarksfirst.com.

(Story by Megan Mueller, Emily Manley, ozarksfirst.com)